Depleted Uranium not a factor in Iraqi food insecurity

Autor: Roger Helbig

Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on: 10/15/2008

Category: Letters to the Editor

Ross,

There is no munition “tipped with depleted uranium” — there are kinetic energy penetrator rounds that are solid small diameter rods of DU that are fired at tanks. They probably have not been fired anywhere in the world since the run into Baghdad in 2003 during which Saddam’s armored forces were engaged.

The number also is highly suspect.

Finally, the use of DU kinetic energy penetrators has not had any effect on the food supply in the Balkans where the UN Environment Programme did extensive field work followed by laboratory testing.

You also should be aware that the photos illustrating the horror stories of “alleged DU-caused birth defects” are faked by skilled propagandists and con artists then forwarded around the world by duped peace activists. For this, go to www.depletedcranium.com – this website has finally began posting the origins of some of these photos after I started putting out the Harlequin Fetal Syndrome (Harlequin Ichthyosis) photos.

Also go to the Yahoo Group DUStory and Message 76 – links or join the group for a while using the instructions in Message 77. A new message was also just posted with the Files Section’s current (as of yesterday) holdings.

I see your references, but none of them to this are post 2003 — all of them that rely on Iraqi input are suspect. It is now very well known that no one was free to report anything that was contrary to the wishes of the Saddam government. You need to look for verification. Your claims about DU are false. Your claims about US targeting sewage treatment plants, etc. are false. The only ones who targeted that kind of infrastructure have been the insurgents and Al Qaeda in Iraq and a lot of good people have died making an effort to keep them repaired and to rebuild them.

I can tell you that if you do the research that the only two that were targeted were energy plants and communication systems – also I believe that carbon fibers were used to short circuit electrical lines so that the electrical plants themselves were not attacked. I would expect that no attack was consciously made on a sewage treatment plant, irrigation systems or water purification plant – the Gulf War was the first where there were lawyers in Operations Centers advising on the legality of attacking certain targets. — you need to read both sides — and there is substantial reporting on the use of Airpower in the Gulf — and no, it is not classified. If I can read it, so can you.

Roger Helbig

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